670 
THE RUKAib ISIISW-y OHKEE 
May 14, 
The Rural New-Yorker 
THE BUSINESS FARMER'S PAPER. 
A National Weekly Journal for Country and Suburban Homes. 
Established 1850. 
Published weekly by the Itnrsl PublishtuK Company, 400 Pearl 8treet, New York. 
Herbert W. Oollinowood, President and Editor, 
John J. Dillon, Treasurer and General Manager. 
Wm. F. Dillon, Secretary. Mrs. E. T. Royle, Associate Editor. 
SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. 
To foreign countries in the Universal Postal Union, $2.04, equal to 
8 s. 6 a., or 8*2 marks, or 10*2 francs. Remit in money order, 
express order, personal check or bank draft. 
Entered at New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. 
Advertising rates 50 cents per agate line—7 words. Discount for time 
orders. References required for advertisers unknown to 
usj and cash must accompany transient orders. 
"A SQUARE DEAL.” 
We believe that every advertisement in this paper is backed by a 
responsible person. But to make doubly sure we will make good any 
loss to paid subscribers sustained by trusting any deliberate swindler 
advertising in our columns, and any such swindler will be publicly ex¬ 
posed. We protect suberibers against rogues, but we do not guarantee 
to adjust trifling differences between subscribers and honest, respon¬ 
sible advertisers. Neither will wo be responsible for the debts of 
honest bankrupts sanctioned by the courts. Notice of the complaint 
must be sent to us within one month of the time of the transaction, 
and you must have mentioned The Rural New-Yorker when 
writing the advertiser. 
TEN WEEKS FOR 10 CENTS. 
In order to introduce The R. N.-Y. to progressive, 
intelligent farmers who do not now take it, we send it 
10 weeks for 10 cents for strictly introductory pur¬ 
poses. We depend on our old friends to make this 
known to neighbors and friends. 
* 
There is a fierce milk war on at Boston between 
the city contractors and producers. The latter demand 
a living price for their milk, and the battle comes 
down to the question whether the contractors can 
obtain milk from outside parties. It is reported that 
the Sheffield Farms—Slawson-Decker Co., of New 
York is sending milk to Boston in an effort to defeat 
the milk producers. We do not believe the dairymen 
who provide this milk in the first place know that 
their product is being used to defeat their brother 
farmers in New England. They cannot afford to kill 
off their friends in this way. 
* 
H. M. Whiting of the Whiting Nursery Company 
has been having a lively time in Orleans Co., N. Y. 
As was stated last week, Whiting seems to think his 
trouble started through the error of a telephone girl. 
However this may be, the troubles have been kept 
going by farmers. In his efforts to deliver the nursery 
stock he has run upon hard language and rough treat¬ 
ment. He was arrested on a charge of failing to file 
necessary papers with the county clerk. Whiting 
waived examination and will appear before the grand 
jury early in June. We are told there is a clear case 
against him of failure to comply with the law, but 
this will not affect his right to sue for the trees he 
claims to have delivered. His object evidently is to col¬ 
lect all he possibly can before his trial. A few who 
ordered the trees are said to have paid, but in most 
cases the farmers refuse to pay, and wil 1 show mis¬ 
representation as their defense for rejecting the goods. 
Thus far the farmers have hung together well. 
* 
Our advices from Washington are that a bill for 
experimenting with parcels post will be reported from 
the committee and is likely to be passed by the House. 
There can be no doubt that Congressmen have been 
strongly influenced by letters The trouble is to come 
in the Senate, and the strongest pressure should now 
be brought to bear upon Senators. The time for argu¬ 
ment or explanation has gone. It is now a simple 
question as to whether we can make the Senators 
appreciate the fact that we mean business. If we can 
convince them that we do there will be a trial of 
parcels post. In his letter to Senator Kean, printed 
on page 314 , the Hope Farm man said: 
I do not care to be told that “nothing can be done 
at this time,” because I know that if you and a dozen 
more Senators would stand boldly up and demand a 
trial of the system we should hare it. 
The vision of Senator Kean standing ‘‘boldly up” 
has not yet risen before us, yet there are people enough 
in New Jersey desiring parcels post to perform even 
such a miracle as that! There is no question but that 
the letters showered upon Washington have made the 
House take up parcels post when the leaders had ex¬ 
pected to let it sleep. Now for the Senate. 
* 
As Alfalfa culture spreads there is an increasing 
demand for “soil inoculation.” We have many calls 
from people who ask where they can buy soil from 
good Alfalfa fields. Farmers here and there are be¬ 
ginning to offer such soil for sale. Now, the right 
kind of soil containing the bacteria and clean from 
weed seeds is very useful, and a legitimate product. 
On the other hand, the sale of this soil might afford a 
rich harvest for fakers and careless men. You stand 
the risk of introducing dodder, weed seeds and various 
plant diseases when you buy soil from fields containing 
these pests. We have been told of cases where men 
went out into clover fields or even potato ground and 
dug up “Alfalfa soil” for shipment. We thought at 
first that samples of the soil could be tested and 
examined at experiment stations, but this seems im¬ 
practicable. It could be tested in pots of soil, but this 
would take time, and might not be conclusive. The ex- 
periinent stations could not undertake to test samples 
of such soil with a biological examination. Still, before 
any farmer offers the soil for sale he ought to know in 
some way that it contains the live bacteria and is worth 
using. We should want such proof before ordering 
such soil. There should at least be evidence that the 
field from which the soil comes has grown Alfalfa for 
some years, and that there are nodules on the roots. 
* 
NO SAILING UNDER FALSE COLORS. 
Last Spring we received a voluntary article on 
poultry keeping. It was a good one, apparently giving 
personal experience, and well written. It brought out 
many questions from people who recognized the prac¬ 
tical value of the author’s suggestions. These ques¬ 
tions accumulated until we arranged for this poultry 
man to answer them in a series of articles. The first 
one came in due time. On reading it over we found 
it well filled with direct endorsements of various 
poultry supplies, with name and address of the manu¬ 
facturer or dealer. In a private letter the author said 
these must all go in because they were the best goods 
of their kind and their use a part of his success. We 
promptly cut them out, as we always do, for we will 
not permit an advertisement to sail under false colors 
through the editorial side of The R. N.-Y. 
Not long after we learned that this poultryman was 
attempting to use The R. N.-Y. to play a petty hold-up 
game of blackmail. It seems that he had written to 
a poultry supply company that he was to write these 
articles for us, and that he would, for a consideration, 
name their goods. The “consideration” was to be a 
special discount or a gift of certain articles! We 
blocked this little blackmailing scheme when we cut 
out the names. Since no harm has been done, we do 
not name this poultryman now, though we want no 
more of his articles. If we ever catch him at it 
again, or if anyone, in any line of farm work, tries 
to use The R. N.-Y. in this way, we give fair warning 
that we will brand him so that he will stay branded. 
The worst feature of it is that this man, and others 
like him, cannot see the sin and disgrace of such a 
performance. They actually find excuses. These ex¬ 
cuses are that other papers not only permit it, but 
actually use their editorial space to induce or compel 
dealers or manufacturers to advertise. They point 
us to articles in poultry or farm papers which they 
know and we know are simply concealed advertise¬ 
ments. These articles give, in the most plausible and 
cunning language, editorial endorsement to adver¬ 
tised goods. The reader who does not know the game 
and who has confidence in the editor, supposes that 
such endorsements are genuine, when they represent 
part of the price paid for advertising. Or the article 
will be a “strike” or bold threat to expose something— 
the object being to compel the advertiser to buy silence 
with advertising space. Thus the crooks and the petty 
blackmailers who attempt such games as this poultry- 
man started learn their tricks from the papers who 
seem willing to sell their editorial character and their 
reputation for money. If that poultryman had suc¬ 
ceeded in his little scheme the dealer might have been 
weak enough to pay the blackmail, but he would have 
had no respect for the blackmailer. In like manner 
an honorable advertiser can have small respect for a 
paper which will use its editorial columns either to 
levy blackmail or to “endorse” anything for which 
the price is paid. 
The editorial department of The R. N.-Y. is abso¬ 
lutely and entirely distinct from the advertising. Space 
in our advertising columns is for sale to responsible 
people. That part of the paper may be said to belong 
to the advertiser. But there he stops. The editorial 
part of The R. N.-Y. is the special property of the sub¬ 
scriber, and not for a million dollars a line can any 
man enter it with a concealed advertisement. As for 
the blackmailers, like this poultryman, who try to use 
the influence of The R. N.-Y. for their own selfish 
gain, we repeat the fair warning that, if we ever catch 
them at it we will brand them so they will carry the 
mark for life. No sailing under false colors on this 
ship. 
* 
Let those who wonder why so many people are 
caught in bunko games read that letter or circular from 
E. G. Lewis which is printed on page 567 . The parties 
to whom it was sent held the Lewis notes, which they 
thought were as good as the cash they had sent him. 
He had for some years been putting up the most 
affectionate bluff about his great devotion to their in¬ 
terests, but in spite of all this these people needed their 
money. Now comes this letter, and probably eight 
people out of 10 on reading it over would say it is a 
direct offer to send the cash at once. But if you will 
study it carefully you will notice that in no way does 
it agree to pay any cash at all. You have the privilege 
of saying whether you want cash or stock, but you have 
nothing else in sight. After you gave up the note you 
release Mr. Lewis from his personal obligation, but he 
is under no obligation to send you any cash. The object 
of this letter evidently is to secure the personal notes 
and give in their place other forms of paper or stock 
which are not bankable for collection. Thus you notice 
that when these notes are sent for collection through 
reputable banks, where the cash must be paid before 
the note is surrendered, they are refused! We have 
recently been told that the average woman has no sense 
of humor. We doubt, however, if there is a member of 
the American Women’s League who cannot sec the 
joker in this letter. 
* 
If we understand the railroad presidents and other 
gentlemen who arc just now so anxious to “educate 
the agriculturists,” their proposition is about as fol¬ 
lows: The cost of living is high because retail prices 
of food have risen. The price has risen because 
farmers do not grow large enough crops to supply 
the increasiilg population in our cities. Therefore, 
farmers must raise more food and sell it at lower 
prices, and thus prevent impending famine. If this 
is not a correct statement of the proposition we are 
ready to be put right. There are goorl points about 
this idea if you will let us make a broader applica¬ 
tion of it. The town man with high-priced food is 
not the only one with a list of troubles. Farmers 
generally agree that railroad rates are too high. They 
know that express rates and service may be classed 
with genteel robbery. They can name a dozen neces¬ 
sities for which they are held up in order that cer¬ 
tain protected industries may enjoy the beautiful 
monopoly of special privileges. Suppose we apply 
the law of supply and demand to these things and 
call for more railroads, more express companies and 
clean, open competition in the necessities which we 
must buy. It is just as fair for farmers to call for 
cheaper and fairer service in such things as for these 
thoughtful gentlemen to settle the food problem by 
increasing the amount produced and thus reducing the 
price. As it is now the farmer gets on the average 35 
cents of the consumer’s dollar. Cut that dollar down 
to 80 cents and the farmer gets 28 cents, and still 
continues to pay as much or more for fertilizer, labor 
and the other necessities. The railroads and the other 
handlers expect to get as much out of the SO cents as 
they did out of the dollar, since their charges are 
fixed and constant. The larger the crop the more they 
get from it, no matter how low it goes to the farmer. 
For instance, this year potatoes fell to 15 cents in 
some localities, yet the railroads took as much for 
hauling them as they did when the price went to 75 
cents. Years ago Sir John B. Lawes said that “High 
farming is no remedy for low prices,” and we have 
never seen the statement controverted. The way to 
increase the food supply is to show farmers how ta 
get more of the consumer’s dollar—not to tell them 
to take even less than they now receive. 
BREVITIES. 
If you'd make the old farm fatter, 
Stuff it with organic matter, 
Do not let the ground lie bare ; 
Keep some green crop growing there. 
Keep the soil from growing sour, 
For the farmer’s strong right bower 
Is and ever will be lime, 
That will bring the soil lo time. 
Axd don't forget the garden. 
Try that remedy for wireworms, page 56G, and let us 
know the result. 
Plans are being made for a great apple show at Co¬ 
lumbus, Ohio, next Winter. 
It is a pleasant thing to have a Quaker say “The 
R. N.-Y. is certainly thcc paper.” 
It looks as if Sweet clover seed would make a popular 
crop for those who learn how to grow and save it. 
“In view of Senator N. B. Scott’s great knowledge 
of geography, why not call him ‘Great Scott'?" says .1. B. 
“What’s in a name?” 
No. sir; you never can find a more suitable time for 
doing things than right now. Among the other things is 
that final, strong letter to your Senator on parcels post. 
Y’ou may think we do not need inspection of grass 
seeSs. A sample of Alfalfa seed tested in Indiana gave 
175,680 weed seeds in 16 pounds, or the amount for one 
acre. Only 74 per cent of the Alfalfa germinated. 
You will see that the statements about farm crops have 
begun. This plan of simply keeping time and charging 
20 cents an hour for man and 10 cents for each horse 
makes easy figuring. Try it with one field at least. 
It is impossible for anyone to keep track of all the 
“hack to the farm” movements which are starting up 
all over the country. It looks as if they are planning to 
take the public right by the collar aud march them out 
on the land. 
Russian vetch as a “cover crop” seems to be gaining 
friends. .T. II. Hale writes about it: “The greatest cove* 
plant of all is the Russian vetch. My. hut it’s a wonder¬ 
ful thing, only the pesky stuff grows so fast in the 
Spring and makes such a tangled mass on the ground 
that it is almost impossible to plow it under. All the 
same, I am going to sow more and more of it if I can get 
the seed.” 
